Random reboot, lock / unlock problem, call audio problem - have increased in frequency since Android 10

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I hear people struggle with some of these, but do others also face all of them? A quick run-down of the three problems:

Almost several times(!) a day my phone restarts, after which I have to use my PIN (regular, not SIM) to unlock again, Then the phone starts loading apps and what not, which can range from quite quickly to very long. Once my phone got stuck in this process, after which I had to remove the battery to boot it again.
They started recurring again after the Android 10 upgrade. I’ve already had to deal with these severe issues during the first six months this phone was released, after which the frequency of which these happened dropped a lot (I don’t think there was a time where they were non-existent). It seems like they are back now in full force.

Secondly, sometimes my phone will not unlock. Instead, the phone screen will remain black when clicking the unlock button. After leaving the phone untouched for a while (~1min), pressing the unlock button will bring me to the initial state of the phone as I wanted to lock it (bypassing the lock screen). This makes me feel like the phone was never locked from the start (and that the problem lies there). Also, I associate this problem with me using the phone for media consumption (e.g. watching video streams), so it might be related with that as well. I have had this issue from the start.

Lastly, at times when calling someone or receiving a call from someone, the call audio seems to be muted. However, I am able to use the volume controls, but they won’t have any effect. A lot of times calling back or calling again will do the trick, but some times the issue will persist (which is as infuriating as it sounds). WhatsApp voice calls are not affected by this, which is what I use as second workaround. I have had this issue on and off from the start as well.

Having heard the reputation of early FP2, I knew what I was getting into, but I didn’t realise the extent of the problems. There were other issues at the launch of FP3 (e.g. headphone audio bug - which I contacted support for), but they have been resolved. It is why I held off on posting earlier, but with the recent uptick in severity (which coincides with the Android 10 update) I decided to post for mostly documentation’s sake. It might be good to know that there are still FP users struggling with bugs that have persisted from the start (albeit in varying frequency).

TL;DR: Have been experiencing random reboots, a lock/unlock problem and muted call audio. This was always the case, but with the Android 10 update frequency of said problems have increased.

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For what it’s worth … I faced none of these problems with Android 9 Fairphone OS, and I face none of these problems with Android 9 /e/ now.
Android 10 /e/ is coming up, but hasn’t been released yet.

Seems the overall problem is the same as it was with the Fairphone 2 … inconsistent quality, which is bad enough.
(But Mine works fine)

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Unfortunately, I know 2 of the 3 issues you describe. If you are willing to take the risk, maybe try a custom ROM. In my case, it resolved both of them (reboots and sound in calls) 'til now.

My uneducated guess regarding your lock screen phenomenon: does one app, e.g. the streaming software, prevent the screen from turning off while watching? Maybe it’sa side effect.

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Thanks for your replies!

Initially I was hesitant to install custom ROMs, but it seems like the way to go.

Pretty sure the streaming apps I use all prevent the screen from timing out. I did not encounter the same behaviour on my older smartphones using the same apps, so I don’t think black screen is normal behaviour.
I’ll be installing some custom ROMs when I have the time to do so, hopefully it’ll resolve all problems!

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Same issue here, I am very disappointed! The caller app is muted, it has no sound neither at my phone nor at the person opposite. Only reboot fixes the issue temporarily.

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On my FP3 with all updates I have the call audio issue as well. It’s as if mic and speaker were turned off, for calls only. A reboot fixes it.

I had the same problem a while ago and found it appeared when I had plugged in headphones. But this I believe was fixed, and all was fine in the last months. Until yesterday this problem resurfaced, while I have not plugged in a headphone in a while.

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Same here. Just got a brand new FP3+ and instantly got complaints from virtually everyone the could not make out what I said on the phone. Dissapointing!
Hopefully the issue can be resolved quickly with an update!

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@OOG Sadly this may not be resolved with an update as the majority of users have no problems. So to try and get to the root of your problem it would be useful to know some detail.

  1. Exact model of phone and build number
  2. What network are you using
  3. Does it happen when using wifi calling, what’sapp etc
  4. Can you record voice using the built in recording device

There are two microphones have you tried each in multiple apps

You can test the microphones individually

On the Fairphone 3 there are Service tests available via Settings - System - Advanced - Developer options (how to enable them in Android is all over the internet) - Service Menu - Service tests.

There are topics that are more directly related to your microphone issues in calls:

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Thanks for your reply and suggestions @anon9989719 . I read those topics as per your suggestion and tried every suggestion. No luck, but I will continue my quest in those threats.
I also opened a support ticket. Details have been mentioned there. I hope support will work with me on the problem soon.
To be honest I am pretty annoyed by having to check countless settings and functionalities on a brand new and updated phone. I don’t think it’s fair to the user.

I really appreciate everyone chiming in on the forum. And so because I would love the phone and company to succeed I will hang in there for a little while longer.

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I empathise with your annoyance and I imagine you are being polite. I had known about the Fairphone 1 before it was available but wouldn’t risk the upset.

The best i can put it as though a) I gave £450 to a charity and b) someone I met gave me an old phone with a few problems, and no easy support.

Well all i can be happy about is that i was rich enough to give the money away.

Well it beats being a miner and being in a Chinese factory, i hope :slight_smile:

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I have the same problem.
Sometimes the other person cannot hear my voice. ‘Recalling’ normally solves the problem for some time.

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HI @Henk_Frouws

if the only problem you have is audio then you’d be better off reading and replying to more specific topics, this is a general gripe about Android 10. It does not relate to the latest version.

if you don’t find a solution or specific help in another topic you could start your own with a clear title or contact support.

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